Thursday’s full Moon in Virgo has grown from the Aquarius new Moon on February 18. The Sun at that moment was still minutes away from Pisces. So instead of learning about Pisces from inception, the Moon has grown from an Aquarian seed, to arrive at a perfect opposition to the Piscean Sun. She will experience her ‘newness’ in that sign at the next new Moon (March 20) as the Sun is about to depart from Pisces. This will take place moments from the Spring Equinox during a solar eclipse.

Bob Fuhro photo

Like this squirrel in my back yard, are you confused? Surely this has happened to you at some point. It reminds me of learning how to use a new computer program just in time for it to become obsolete, scrambling to mesh what I was doing, and back tracking to understand the new program after using it. Or maybe, as a child, you learned one language, but now must think and speak in another without a formal introduction from the home front. Each sign is a language with its own flavor and emphasis. Virgo is always ready for analysis, for differentiation. Pisces delights in tearing down the boundaries between all things and floating in space. Since the full Moon is always in the sign opposite the Sun, there is an integration of elements that must take place. Perhaps this is the source of the excitement associated with a full Moon. Of course, no full Moon takes place in a vacuum. There are other players who add interest, or mischief, or emphasis as the Sun and the Moon face off. The seventh and final square between Uranus and Pluto will take place on March 16. The Uranus Pluto square has been in effect since 2012. During this time we have felt the tension between these two powerful outer planets in a variety of ways personal and global. Many of the outer issues are a return to unfinished business from the late 60’s when Pluto and Uranus were cheek and jowel in Virgo. Revolution, evolution, transformation and repression are themes we experience inside and outside when these planets come into contact. In the case of this full Moon the square between Uranus and Pluto is powerfully felt by both Sun and Moon because they are close connected by degree. Uranus will make discomforting angles to both Sun and Moon. And he’s nestled between Venus and Mars like the bold intruder who disrupts a harmonious couple. Or perhaps he’ll learn the fine points of love and action from the two. There may be some hard lessons in this mix for they are all poised in close proximity to the South Node in Aries, a suggestion that self reliance has its limits, and the power of partnership opens new possibilities. Pluto is in a comfy trine to the Moon, but doesn’t have clear a relationship to the Sun. He’s getting a lesson or two from Ceres, the Earth Mother Goddess, who hasn’t forgotten that her daughter Persephone was swallowed up in the Otherworld of Pluto. Perhaps they are once again discussing the terms for spring and the return of the Maiden.

Kore Sarah Fuhro Whoever has walked across a freshly plowed field at twilight, and raised loving eyes to see the crescent moon adorned by the evening star, you are entering the drama which has no beginning and knows no end. Once more the Maiden returns pure and slender to be gathered like wheat in the brown arms of her grieving mother. Once more we are freed from the dark shelter of womb and grave.

Jupiter is in the mix as well and can be seen in the picture below through cherry blossoms a few nights ago. No cherry blossoms here in New England, but the Moon and Jupiter have been very beautiful in the clear night sky as the Moon passed through Leo on her way to Virgo. Jupiter, like Uranus is also in an off beat relationship to Moon and Sun.

We are in the Moon of cycle of Nuin, Ash Tree. The Ash tree is associated with water, and was considered a suitable wood for oars as it was believed to be a charm against drowning. Ash connects the three worlds, Abred, Gwynedd and Ceugent. Another way to look at the place of the Ash is to understand that it represents macrocosm and microcosm, as above, so below. With mighty banks of snow, I wait for the rush of water, which even with the cold weather is beginning to work its way into wall and cellar. A pipe broke and swamped our kitchen. Ash is a reminder of the mighty forces at work in the world, to transform solid material into flowing form.

Keeping our Ancient Wisdom Alive The Wisdom Tradition evolved over the centuries to address our deepest human needs. Sarah Fuhro is a practitioner of its many forms; including Astrology, Tarot, Flower Essences and Druidry. In addition to personal consultations, Sarah teaches workshops and private classes, offering both clients and students knowledge powerfully rooted in the past, presented in the language of the present. To learn more, please visit www.sarahfuhro.com.

A Full Moon in Gemini December 6, 2014

In celebration of the full Moon in Gemini, we have a Uranus/Pluto square, astrological symbol of the past few years! This will be the sixth of seven exact squares stretched from 2012-2015. It will provide an extra injection of gabby energy into the electrical Gemini full Moon. A Gemini full Moon is already full of verbal overflow, Mercurial monkey mind, wide curiosity and unfinished business. The intellect is buzzing in several directions at once.

Uranus, considered a higher expression of Mercury is in a close relationship to both Sun and Moon. We are almost certain to hear or to take part in the rhetoric of spiritual or political concepts. Uranus was born from Chaos, and is both son and husband to Gaia, the earth mother. In our charts he plays the part of sculptor to our individuality. In the wider world he is the revolutionary, sometimes humanistic, sometimes anarchic. At the present time he is in Aries, the sign of Mars, while Mars is in his sign of Aquarius. I think this may have something to do with the deep urge towards war and the warrior’s response, whether it be the appeal of ISIS to young people from all over the world, or the ‘adult’ response to bomb and repress what looks chaotic and dangerous, each side upping the level of violence. If we are conscious of this impulse towards anger and defensive response, we may be able to transform it into actions that will be fueled by the energy of the moment, but will open new doors to understanding instead of destruction! This will take a deep appreciation of silence and slowness which is at odds with the impulse to respond quickly and decisively.

The influence of Pluto is more difficult to discern because he stands ‘inconjunct’ Sun and Moon, but he is moving through this period with slow but deep powers of transformation. He is the god of the underworld, but it’s always important to remember he is also the god of ‘riches’ as in ‘Plutocrat’. That inexorable power that we associate with Hades/Death has treasures for us when we dare to delve into its depth. The treasure we need on earth seems to be an unexpected appreciation of difference, which is a Sagittarian characteristic.

Mercury, who rules the sign of Gemini is cheek and jowl with the Sun in Sagittarius. The opposition between the Moon in Gemini and Sagittarius is not as contrary as some others. Both signs are concerned with education, travel, and a variety of communication. Both have an optimistic flavor, and perhaps that is because communication is central to human endeavor and evolution. Programs, which allow those traumatized by war or abuse to speak of their experiences, have showed amazing results to heal and transform pain into speech. Maybe that’s why the Greeks saw Hermes and Hades as natural companions.

Here’s a picture of Hades (Pluto) returning his stolen bride Persephone to the world of sunshine. He has the company of Hermes (Mercury) and Hekate, once Maiden, Mother and Crone, later demoted to goddess of magic and mystery, all things hidden from day light consciousness. This is an interesting combination of processional companions. Mercury’s function is to help us think in new directions, rather than go round and round in obsession. The relationship between Hades, Persephone, Hekate and Mercury is one that can open our eyes to new ways of seeing what is ‘good’ and what is ‘bad.’

Chiron the healer is also closely linked in this chart to the Sun and Moon, Uranus and Pluto. Demeter (Ceres) and Hera (Juno) are in the mix as well. Chiron, like the symbol for Sagittarius is a centaur with the archer’s desire to hit the target. His healing powers were always balanced by his wound, which never healed despite his ability to heal others. Chiron in our chart speaks of a wound which can be turned into a healing power.

I think this time (and chart) of the full Moon are a moment of integration between the material world and the spiritual underpinnings of our consciousness. We are fast approaching the moment of the Winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the Summer Solstice in the South. The play of light dark at opposite extremes seems everywhere around us.

Saturday morning at 3:00 am, we will have the birth of a new Moon cycle. Pisces Sun and Moon snuggle between Neptune in Pisces and Chiron in Pisces. The potential for the dream, the vision, the healing power of meditation are all present, so is confusion, illusion, and mystification. Pisces is the realm where the spiritual is as tangible as the material, but for those of us locked into a material viewpoint, it can be a place of foggy confusion.

To put this all into words from the wordless ocean of Pisces, Mercury stands by in Aquarius. He has only recently turned direct, and so has visited these watery shores, and will revisit them as he goes forward through Pisces. Here he is looking over his shoulder to recall his journey in reverse from Pisces into Aquarius.

We need his Aquarian mental clarity to translate the poetry of this particular Moon event. Neptune is a ruler of Pisces and so deepens the message of Sun and Moon adrift in a sea of oneness. The healing nature of this sign is compassion, an opportunity to feel our deep connection with all. Vulnerability becomes a means to deepen our understanding; Pisces is the ‘give away’ sign before the noisy entrance of the Sun into Aries and the Spring Equinox.

The Pluto/Jupiter opposition is in this mix as well. Pluto in Capricorn with his powerful work of breaking down the old structures of government and business is in a sextile with the Piscean players. His contact is most exact with Chiron, the healer. Perhaps we will begin to envision a new and more compassionate form of healing. As we remember that our bodies are the healers, we can trust the process of recovery, rather than see it as a battle to be won or lost. Chiron, the great healer of the ancient world was a centaur, part man, part horse, and his connection to body recalls this animal part of our self, who knows what it needs to be healthy.

This is the Moon of Fearn, the Alder, a water loving tree, just as Pisces is a water loving sign!

Alder trunks are the pilings under the older sections of Venice and many medieval cathedrals. The tree is linked to Bran the Blessed, who used his body as a bridge for his followers to cross the river Linon to safety. He is a bridge between the worlds, and, after his death, his tribesman carried his head for seven years while he sang and prophesied. The head of Bran was then buried under the White Tower of London and is guarded by ravens, his special bird. The Alder can be used as a blood purifier and lymph cleanser. It can guard the body as Bran guarded his people.

Jupiter in Cancer makes an exact trine with Sun and Moon as well as spilling over onto Neptune and Chiron, while standing in opposition to Pluto. Uranus makes a square to both Pluto and Jupiter, creating a triangle with revolutionary potential. During this ongoing square between Pluto and Uranus we have seen a number of revolutions seem to crumble into chaos, rather than open to possibility. Is there another way to create change?

The Sabian Symbol for this new Moon is seems to refer to this quandary: Men traveling a narrow path, seeking illumination. The capacity inherent in every individual to seek, at whatever cost, an entrance to a transcendent realm of reality. Walk ON!